Gene therapy is a promising approach to provide protection and treatment of acute and chronic lung diseases by restoring lung function. Our laboratory has developed a technique, electroporation, to efficiently deliver naked DNA to various tissues, including the living lung, with high-level gene expression and without damage. Our goal is to lead to a safe and effective approach to overexpress desired gene(s) in the injured lung to regulate lung function. It will provide evidence to move gene therapy toward clinical application.